In a surprisingly strong rebuke of Moscow, the UN General Assembly on Thursday affirmed Ukraine's territorial integrity and deemed the referendum that led to Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula illegal.

The vote on the Ukraine-sponsored resolution in the 193-member world body was 100 countries in favor, 11 opposed and 58 abstentions. Twenty-four countries did not vote. "This support has come from all corners of the world which shows that this (is) not only a regional matter but a global one," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia told reporters after the vote. (AP)